Living Cities, the Runners-Up

Flux Tower

The cylindrical form of the 40-story tower reflects the dynamics of life of its inhabitants and its relationship with its environment. Sited in Brooklyn, the tower's residential floors are punctuated by ground-, mid-, and upper-level commercial areas. The outer glass skin conceals three large volumes containing the tower's programmatic spaces, which are sheathed in a second curtain wall. The "in-between" space resulting from the meeting of the two curtain walls creates singular communal zones dedicated to leisure uses, such as restaurants, gyms, and even a kindergarten.

An example of an "in-between" public space formed by the outer and inner curtail walls.

The outer curtain wall conceals three cup-like, glazed volumes that each contain a mix of residential units and commercial areas.

"The core of the structural design is based on a cylindrical and concentric system of resistant elements," say the project architects, speaking of the structural bands integrated on the tower's outer facade.